Watch regulator



Nov. 18, 1969 T. M. WILLIAMS WATCH REGULATOR Filed ot. 1o, 1968 FIGJ.

FIG. 5.

THEODORE M. WILLIAMS y ATroRNEY United States Patent O 3,478,508 WATCH REGULATOR Theodore M. Williams, 816 N. Ridgewood Ave., Daytona Beach, Fla. 32074 Filed Oct. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 766,512 Int. Cl. G04b l17/14 U.S. Cl. 58-109 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A watch regulator provided with an elongated regulator arm pivotally mounted vabove an arcuate bar having a series of serrations thereon. One end of the regulator arm being attached to the outer convolution of the hairspring and the other end of the avm, remote from said hairspring having a weight secured thereto. The tension of the hairspring can be varied to increase or decrease the running rate of a watch by a tapping force imparted to portions of the periphery of the watch case, for correcting an inaccuracy in the running rate of the watch without the necessity of opening the watch case.

SUMMARY Modern vacuum sealed and waterproof watches require the service of a watchmaker to open the watch case for regulating the running time of the watch and for thereafter properly closing and resealing the case.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide means which are capable of being readily incorporated into an otherwise conventional watch with only slight modification thereof, and which Iwill enable adjustment ofthe running rate of the watch by a tapping force imparted to a peripheral part of the watch case to effect pivotal movement of the regulating arm which is attached to the hairspring for varying the tension of the hairspring.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a regulating arm having a weight on the end therof which is disposed opposite to the end of the arm connected to the hairspring and remote from the arm pivot, whereby a tapping force imparted to a particular part of the watch case periphery will effect pivotal movement of the regulator arm due to inertia to vary the hairspring tension.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved regulator having means to prevent pivotal movement of the arm from occurring as a result of normal jarring forces to which the watch might be subjected.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved regulator having means for visually indicating on vthe watch face adjustment of the regulator and the extent of such adjustment, to either increase or decrease the running rate of the watch.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention Will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

BRIE-F DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the back of a watch, with the back cover removed, showing the regulator applied thereto;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, primarily in side elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE l, with certain of the parts omitted;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken subice stantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the face of the watch showing the visual indicator of the watch regulator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more specifically to the drawing, a watch, designated generally 7, is illustrated, including a watch case 8 having a peripheral portion 9, a rear cover 10 and a crystal 11. The crystal 11 covers the watch face 12 and the rear cover 10 is disposed over a rear wall 13 of the watch. A support 14 is disposed between the rear wall 13 and rear cover 10 and a hairspring 15 is disposed between said AAsupport 14 and the rear wall 13. The parts previously described 'constitute conventional parts of the watch 7.

The watch regulator, designated generally 16 and comprising the invention, includes an elongated regulator arm 17 having'a weight 18 secured to one end thereof. The arm 17, remote from the weight 18, has an enlargement 19 which is provided with an opening 20 which fits turnably on a spindle 21 which has a restricted threaded end 22 which engages a threaded opening 23 in the support 14. The spindle 21 has a knurled head 24 at `its other end forming aI stop for a compression spring 25 which is mounted on the spindle 21 between the head 24 and said arm portion 19, for yeldably holding one side of said portion 19 against the outer side of the support 14.

The arm 17 has a right angular extension 26, located on other side of the pivot 21 from the end of the arm supporting the weight 18 and which extension 26 extends toward the rear wall 13. A part of the extension 26 is secured by a screw fastening 27 to the outer convolution of the hairspring 15. The extension 26 has portions which extend through aligned arcuate slots 28 and 29 in the rear wall 13 and face 12, respectively. A terminal portion of the extension 26 is turned inwardly at a right angle to the remainder thereof toward the center of the watch 7 and is tapered to form a pointer 30 which is disposed over the front of the watch face 12 and beneath the crystal 11.

A bar 31 is secured to a part of the watch case 8 and has an arcuate portion 32 which is disposed between the rear wall 13 and a part of the arm 17 which is located between the pivot 21 and weight 18. The side of the bar portion 32, which faces toward the arm 17, is provided with a series of rounded teeth or ridges 33 interposed between rounded grooves or depressions 34 in one of which a part of the arm 17 engages, as seen in FIGURE 3. The teeth 33 and depressions 34 are disposed between upstanding parts of the bar portion 32 and which form stops 35.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that when the periphery 9 of the watch case is tapped sharply near the top of the watch that the arm 17, due to the inertia afforded by the weight 18, will swing counterclockwise about its pivot 21 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 36 in FIGURE 1. This counterclockwise movement of the extension 26 will unwind the hairspring 15 slightly to decrease the running rate of the watch 7. This movement of the arm 17 will be visually indicated by swinging movement of the pointer 30 toward the lower end of the slot 29, designated by the letter S, in FIG- URE 5.

In order for the arm 17 to turn counterclockwise, as heretofore described, the portion of the arm 17 engaging one of the depressions 34 must move out of said depression and over the tooth or ridge 33 disposed directly thereabove, as seen in FIGURE 1. This movement of the arm 17 cams said arm away from the support 14 by compressing the spring 25. After the arm 17 rides over the aforementioned tooth or ridge 33, the spring 25 will expand and force the arm portion 19 back against the support 14 and a part of the arm 17 into the next depression 34. The ridges 33 and depressions 34 thus provide a detent means to prevent swinging movement of the arm 17 in response to slight jarring impacts to which the watch 7 is subjected in connection with its normal use and for causing the arm 17 to be moved a predetermined distance, from one depression 34 to the next adjacent depression, when the periphery 9 of the case is forcibly tapped, as heretofore described.

It will also be readily apparent that the arm 17 can be caused to swing in the opposite direction or clockwise, as indicated by the arrow 37, by tapping the bottom portion of the case periphery 9, for increasing the tension of the hairspring to increase the running rate of the watch, and that this movement will likewise be indicated by the pointer 30 moving upwardly, as seen in FIGURE 5, toward the upper end of the slot 29 designated by the letter E The compression of the spring 25 can be initially adjusted, before the watch case 8 is sealed, by advancing or retracting the screw 22 in the opening 23 for regulating the amount of tapping force required to cause the arm 17 to move over one ridge or tooth 33. The stops 35 limit the maximum extent that the arm 17 can swing about its pivot 21 in either direction from its intermediate position as illustrated in the drawing.

I claim as my invention:

1. A watch regulator comprising a regulator arm, a pivot on which the arm is swingably mounted near one end of the arm, a weight carried by the end of the arm disposed remote from the pivot, and means adapted to fasten the opposite end of the arm to the outer convolution of the hairspring of a watch whereby a tapping force imparted to the periphery of the watch case in a direction generally crosswise of the axis of the arm will cause the weighted end of the arm to swing toward the portion of the watch case to which the tapping force is applied for varying the tension of the hairspring to increase or decrease the running rate of the watch.

Z. A watch regulator as in claim 1, and detent means engaged by a part of the arm disposed between the weight and pivot for limiting the extent of swinging movement of the arm in response to a tapping force and to prevpnt swinging movement of the arm about its pivot in response to normal jarring forces imparted to the watch in normal usage.

3. A watch regulator as in claim 2, said detent means including an arcuate bar having a series of alternating ridges and depressions, a part of the arm normally engaging one of the depressions, spring means associated with said pivot and normally urging said arm portion into the depression and for permitting the arm portion to be cammed kout of the depression to ride over an adjacent ridge when an impact force is imparted to a particular portion of the watch case.

4. A watch regulator as in claim 2, and means carried by said arm and movable therewith across a portion of the watch face for'visually indicating swinging movement of the arm for adjusting the running rate of the watch.

5. A watch regulator as in claim 1, said arm having an angular extension constituting the end thereof to which the hairspring is secured, said extension being adapted to be swingably movable in aligned slots of the watch face and rear wall, and said extension having a terminal end forming a pointer adapted to be disposed between and substantially parallel to the watch face and crystal for visually indicating pivotal movements of the arm for varying the tension of the hairspring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 469,914 l/ 1892 Olsen 58-114 2,088,421 7/ 1937 Kohlhagen 58-109 2,464,688 3/ 1949 Ingraham 58--109 2,959,913 11/1960 Morf 58-109 3,136,116 6/1964 Walton 58-109 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner 

